It’s been a bit of a tumultuous history for Marvel Heroes, beginning with an “oops” of a launch, a massive overhaul of tanking in the game along with major changes to every single hero over the past five months. Now, Update 2.0 brings with it a brand new hero, Loki, along with new event leaderboards, UI and sound changes, item changes, quite a few new and modified powers, and a brand new chapter of content.

Asgard – Game Update 2.0 is now live in Marvel Heroes! Our biggest content update ever features a new playable character… the God of Mischief himself, Loki! Unlock the Bifrost Bridge to Asgard, adventure through expansive new zones, play through new story missions, explore our new player hub, and much more! Below are some highlights but be sure to check out the full patch notes for Asgard – Game Update 2.0 here!

LOKI JOINS MARVEL HEROES

Loki has been added to Marvel Heroes! Loki is the Norse god of mischief and evil and the adopted son of Odin All-Father, the ruler of Asgard. He is crafty, clever, and resourceful, using sorcery to achieve his intricate goals.

Loki resents the glory and acclaim given to his adoptive brother, Thor, and he strives to place himself on the throne of Asgard. However, on the rare occasions when his goals overlap with Thor or other heroes, Loki has been to ally himself with those he would otherwise detest.

Two Brand New Costumes:

Sticking with the Asgardian theme, check out Storm decked out in her Asgardian Armor as well as the first Enhanced Costume for Thor – Beta Ray Bill!

More Story Content

The epic story of Marvel Heroes continues in Asgard with brand new story missions featuring fully-voiced motion comics!

New Items

New item types like rings and Legendary items each have their own new item slots. Players will want to hang on to legendary items, as they grow stronger and gain experience along with the player!

New Hero Starting Lineup

Marvel Heroes now has a brand new roster of starting heroes for new players to choose from. Expanding from the previous five choices, players can now pick a free Marvel superhero from a list of nine exciting and unique playable heroes.

RIFT’s new patch comes with a host of new gaming updates: from the winter holiday celebration start to item shop wish lists and planar attunement to IPP getting a makeover. Also, international shards now let you choose your preferred supported UI language regardless of where your charcter is located.

A haunting melody drifts across Telara. Part dream, part compulsion, it beckons the Ascended to Ember Isle. There, under the surface, the ephemeral lilt takes shape, offering a vision of things to come!

Song of Dreams pits the Ascended against harbingers of the Wanton in an all-new underwater Saga. Dive into the story under Ember Isle, but remember to come up for air – Update 2.5 piles on additional features including International Shards, a new Planar Attunement Nexus, and six weeks of Level 60 instances (Chronicles, Slivers, and a new dungeon!).

Features

Mini-Saga: Song of Dreams

Return to Ember Isle, where expeditions are mysteriously disappearing undersea. Brave madness (and drowning) to discover a new menace to Telara amid the Song of Dreams. Once you hear it, there’s no going back!

Gifts of the Fae

Starting Nov. 13, Grandfather Frost unveils a new Level-60 version of a favorite Telaran instance every week, including community-choice Return to Deepstrike, a completely new adventure into the heart of Stonefield.

Iron Pine Peak (27-35)

We’re thawing the level requirement on quests and content in Iron Pine Peak, the majestic home of the Icewatch. Level your way into the Peak’s permanent winter straight from Gloamwood or Stonefield.

Infinity Gate Dimension

Lay claim to the ancient Brevanic Gateway that started it all, and show off with new Dimension items available only from artifact sets scattered throughout Expert dungeons.

Planar Attunement Nexus, PvP Tier 3

Running out of places to spend your Planar Attunement points? Check out new Nature, Cinder, and Storm Nexuses built to combine the best of the existing planes plus PvP Tier 3!

Store Wish Lists

Gifting and receiving loot has never been easier! Send your friends the loot they’re looking for and keep a tidy list of all the items, boosts, and mounts you’d love in return.

International Shards

Now you can play in any language regardless of selected region – all game and UI text will automatically display in the language of your choice.

As usual, this is just the tip of the iceberg: Read up on all the changes and features live in 2.5 – including a new PvP matchmaking system and more quality of life improvements – with the official Patch Notes.

The Secret World’s new content patch brings with it two new experiences: Scenarios (solo, duo, or team based content with difficulty based on time of day!) and Augments (skill behavior modifications). Now you can affect your active skills in unique and powerful ways, including increasing crit chances, tanking and healing abilities, and even give party buffs! Issue #8 is definitely shaping up to change how the community plays!

Also, Halloween is still in effect for a few more days. Enjoy!

The latest update to The Secret World is just out. Members get three days of early access and can buy Issue #8: The Venetian Agenda in the Item Shop and jump into the action straight away! Non-members can get Issue #8 on Sunday the 10th of November.

Issue #8 brings two brand new features to The Secret World, the Scenario System and the Augment System. Scenarios are a completely fresh type of content which offer virtual training in the headquarters of The Council of Venice. Augments give a rich new layer to character development, by letting you enhance your Active Abilities with powerful Augments, giving you more tactical choices than ever before!

Issue #8: The Venetian Agenda can be bought in the Item Shop like previous Issues, but a part of this update is available to everyone for free!

Anyone can enter Venice through Agartha and play the Normal and Elite version of the Seek and Preserve Scenario taking place in Hotel Wahid. To get access to the Nightmare version of this Scenario and the rest of the Scenarios you need to buy Issue #8 in the Item Shop or the Scenarios themselves as individual upgrades.

Check out the exclusive preview video of Issue #8 narrated by Game Director Joel Bylos, to get a sneak peek at all that is awaiting you in this fresh update!

You can watch the trailer for Issue #8 below.

Read more about Issue #8: The Venetian Agenda below the Issue cover.

Scenarios

Go through Agartha and head on over to the Venice entrance to check out an all new part of The Council of Venice’s Headquarters. Take part in the virtual training Scenarios which will test you to the max. There are three different Scenarios in Issue #8, each of them has three different difficulties and each of them can be done either solo, duo or as a team.

The Scenarios offer brutal challenges full of random encounters and events. Normal and Elite modes are hard enough, but will you dare challenge the diabolic Nightmare difficulty?

Augments

By defeating bosses and completing the Scenarios you get rewarded with powerful Augments. The all new Augment System lets you fine tune your Abilities by giving them additional effects.

Play a lot of Scenarios and earn Augments which boost your damage, your healing, your tanking or the combined power of your entire team! With Augments you get even more choices on how to improve your character, and more tactical choices to make you more powerful than ever before!

Halloween

Halloween is a special time in The Secret World, and right now you can enjoy our unique Halloween event, which will last until the 11th of November.

Enjoy ten new Item Missions on Solomon Island, each containing an exclusive scary story. Or take on the ominous Cat God in his chain of missions, and see Stonehenge in its ancient form! Halloween also offers many new and exclusive rewards and outfits, such as the ominous Plague Doctor outfit available in the Item Store.

Guild Wars 2? Music Videos? Rock and Roll? Prizes? If any of those words raise an eyebrow or quicken your pulse, then you should enter the contest! ArenaNet is asking players to create and submit their very own music video in a chance to win a grand prize worth several hundred bucks.

Prepare to Rock the Nightmare! In the November 12 Guild Wars 2 release The Nightmares Within, you’ll storm the sinister fortress of the Toxic Alliance and face your fears!

Few things are as “metal” as a sorcerous tower full of evil, so to commemorate The Nightmares Within release, we’re hosting a heavy metal music video contest from November 5 through November 26.

Create your own Guild Wars 2 music video using our all-new “The Nightmares Within” song. The most creative video creators will winSteelSeries gaming gear, and the grand prize winner will receive a unique customGuild Wars 2 guitar from Sygnus Guitars – there isn’t another one like it on Earth or Tyria!

The Rock the Nightmare Music Video Contest runs from November 5 through November 26, so don’t delay – get rocking today!

Winners will be announced right here on GuildWars2.com on or around December 13, 2013.

Good news WildStar fans: the winter beta testing is just a month away! I am definitely hoping to be part of the beta for WildStar so I’m able to provide feedback. It was interesting to me that a good number of MMORPGs weren’t on the list of “Have you played this/beta tested this game?” I’m not sure how Ultima Online is more important to their requirements than Neverwinter or Marvel Heroes or Path of Exiles, etc., but it’s eclectic and even includes old-timer goodies such as Asheron’s Call and Meridian 59.

Exciting times are upon us here at Carbine. The team has had their heads down for the last few months powering through development of WildStar, and things are shaping up really nicely. The remaining months of 2013 are going to be really big for us, and we’ve got a ton of great things planned, so this week we thought we’d give you a little taste of what’s in store for the WildStar community.

WILDSTAR LIVESTREAMS

So many of you have been asking when you can see more gameplay, more developers, more more more. A lucky few of you may have stumbled on our little livestream test we ran this past weekend. We’ve got a bit more work to do, but in the next few weeks you should expect to start seeing regular livestreams from the Carbine team. And we won’t just be showing off stuff you’ve already seen: expect to see new content, new classes, new reveals, and lots of WildStar gameplay over the coming months on a regular basis. We’ll chat with the developers YOU want to talk to, play the content YOU want to see, and answer all most of your questions live! Want to get involved? Follow our channel on Twitch and get notified whenever we go live.

For those who miss any live episodes, expect to see previous broadcasts up on Twitch and YouTube the following week to catch up on what you missed.

CLASS TIME

Probably the second-most common question we get asked these days is “When will we hear about those last two classes?” The answer, of course, is soon. But starting next week, we’re going to be initiating one of our biggest info drops yet which will roll out over the rest of 2013.

Classes have changed, evolved, and progressed since we first revealed them, so before we get to the new classes we thought it’d be great to reintroduce the old ones in an informative way, and showcase each of the unique mechanics, strategies, and designs of WildStar’s classes. Each reveal (or re-reveal) will be accompanied by new webpages, developer interviews, and livestreams to answer any questions you have about that class. All of these reveals and information drops will lead up to one big moment in December:

WINTER BETA

I’m sure most of you skipped down to this part after reading the article’s title. Yes, we’re just about ready to start up the Winter Beta for WildStar. We’ll be inviting tons of people, new and old, to check out the changes to WildStar, give us feedback, and play through the content to make sure we’re ready for launch in Spring 2014.

We’ll be sending out a survey to all of our beta applicants in the next few weeks. Be sure to fill it out as accurately as possible if you want to increase your chances of getting invited. Haven’t applied yet? Now’s your chance if you want to be included in our Winter Beta!

WRAP-UP

We know the last few months have been a little rough for fans of WildStar. There hasn’t been enough juicy info to dig through, and we’ve been leaving the devs alone to let them get their game systems in a beta-ready place. But guess what? Time’s up, and now we go big. Get ready to be drowned inWildStar details from now through launch. What do you want to hear more about? Let us know through Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, WildStar fansites, and any other place you can think of. As you know by now, the Devs are listening!

Neverwinter has already scheduled their second expansion pack, complete with a brand new Hunter Ranger class, a collections system, expanded Paragon tree skills for the other classes, Artifacts, and a new Dread Ring Campaign! The big question is: will players be willing to constantly pay for the new content in a F2P game where they’re already tied to the cash shop to advanced in the endgame?

Did you catch our Sprite Companion trailer last week? You may have caught a glimpse of a mysterious figure at the end of the trailer. We are proud to reveal that mysterious figure will be the next playable class in Neverwinter: the Hunter Ranger. The new playable class is part of Shadowmantle, the second free expansion Module coming to Neverwinter.

But, that’s not all Module 2 will bring. Since the launch of the Feywild expansion, the Neverwinter Team has been working hard at expanding the Neverwinter experience. We are excited to reveal some details on upcoming changes and additions to Neverwinter and how they’ll provide you with more combat choices and ways to improve the way you play.

Hunter Ranger

From the depths of the Neverwinter Woods comes the newest class, the Hunter Ranger. The Hunter Ranger has the unique ability to strike down opponents from range with his/her bow, or get up close and personal with his/her blades. This will be a unique gameplay experience, giving players the opportunity to switch from ranged to melee on-the-fly.

Ever since our live launch, there have been many requests for an archer and we couldn’t be more excited to offer the new class in the upcoming expansion. We will reveal more details in an upcoming blog so be sure to check back for updates.

Check out the reveal trailer below to see the Hunter Ranger in action.

Paragon Paths

Ever wanted to turn your Guardian Fighter into a Swordmaster? Do you wish your Control Wizard could use fire spells instead of lightning? With the Shadowmantle update, you’ll be able to try out new abilities with new Paragon Paths. The expansion will add brand new selections of powers along with new Paragon Paths for each class. Each path will give the player one new At-Will, one new Encounter, one new Daily, three Class Features and three Feats. This will introduce a variety of combat choices and bring a more unique gameplay experience to each player.

Dread Ring Campaign

Deep within Neverwinter Woods lies the Dread Ring, a massive structure built as a focus for ritual magic, now broken but still powerful. One should take caution when entering this land as even the most unobservant adventurers can tell this is a warped place.

The Dread Ring Campaign will introduce new loot, new rewards and buffs, more powerful items and iconic Dungeons & Dragons bosses to battle. We’ve heard your feedback regarding the Feywild campaign, and we’re happy to announce that the Dread Ring Campaign progression will be much less linear.

Artifacts

With Shadowmantle, we will continue improving your gameplay experience with Artifacts. These are brand new items you can equip to your character, just like any piece of equipment. Furthermore, these items will grant you unique powers and will continue to get more powerful as you level them up. Artifacts can be obtained through quest rewards, campaign rewards or as loot from monsters.

Collections

For the adventurers who love achievements and collecting items, we’re happy to announce the Collections System. Very similar to achievements, this system will be based on items collected rather than actions you completed. By collecting certain items in-game, like companions, you’ll earn points which will net you some nice loot. It’s never been so rewarding to be a hoarder!

With the Artifacts, the Collection system, and Paragon Paths, we hope to address balancing concerns along with improving your overall gameplay experience. In addition to these features, we are also implementing the vote-kick system, a highly-requested community feature. This is just a sample of what the Neverwinter Team has in stored for you with the Shadowmantle update. We are always striving to provide you with the best possible experience and community feedback has played a key role in the addition of upcoming features.

We’ll have much more to share with you, so be sure to come back often to check out more details about the upcoming expansion. You’ll be able to check out Module 2 content on the Preview test server very soon. Once Shadowmantle is available on Preview, head here to join the Preview server and explore Shadowmantle for yourself! Are you excited for the challenges and rewards ahead? Let us know on the official Neverwinterforums.

TSW is one of those games where murder, mystery, and the occult thrive. The devs have created 10 brand new item missions and 10 brand new storylines just for this year’s Halloween event! The event runs from now until November 8. Get in game and enjoy this amazing event.

Halloween is a very special occasion in The Secret World, and this year we have a unique treat for you! You can enjoy ten new Item Missions with ten exclusive scary stories written for this occasion alone. You will find these spread throughout New England, as they are built on local urban legends and told by the Solomon Islanders themselves.

Complete all the new missions and gather up all the stories and you will get a special reward from Danny Dufresne and the complete set of stories bound into an in-game book, which you can read through at any time!

I despise the trope of the unreliable narrator, so you can imagine my self-loathing, tonight, as I bleed black upon the blank page. I was full of with self-loathing that night too. I was a writer, barely at the start of my career, and I’d run out of stories.

Desperate. Very desperate.

Never mind whether I found him, or he found me. Never mind the ritualistic particulars — whether I waited at a cross roads under a harvest moon or drew a chalk circle or invoked his name nine times before a dark mirror — whether I sacrificed a cat, swallowed a leech ballooning on virgin blood, or answered an odd ad in the Personals. Pick your cliché and suckle on it…

But that is of course not all. The Cat God is making a return for this year’s Halloween, so get ready for a harrowing chain of Missions where you get to see Stonehenge in its ancient form.

We are also introducing plenty of new and exclusive Halloween items this year, some of which can be gotten as rewards and loot and others in the Item Shop. Does dressing up as a Plague Doctor for Halloween this year sound tempting?

The Halloween events start today and will last for two weeks, until the 8th of November.

If you’re looking for a video card upgrade either now or at least before the end of the year, Neverwinter is offering a pretty sweet deal: purchase an eligible GeForce GTX and get 1 million Astral Diamonds. Easy peasy.

The Forgotten Realms is unquestionably a beautiful setting. To fully reveal the intricate details of every feature, monster, and adventure zone in Neverwinter, you’ll need to equip yourself with the necessary tools to do so. Fortunately, Neverwinter and Nvidia have teamed up to provide you with the best in-game graphical experience possible!

Coming in less than a week, Tower of Nightmares will haunt your Halloween dreams for the next few weeks.

October 29, 2013

A toxic seed has been sown.
Guarded by magic, fed with evil, it grows.

Video

Events

BEHIND THE VEIL

Some new trouble is growing in Kessex Hills. Carefully hidden by magic, the krait have been working tirelessly on a terror unlike anything seen before in Tyria. Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade are investigating the illusory curtain that’s cloaking part of Viathan Lake, and they need your help! What secret lies behind the veil?

DEVELOPER LIVESTREAM – OCTOBER 28

Take a sneak peak at the Tower of Nightmares release with ArenaNet devs during the preview livestream on our Twitch channel on Monday, October 28 at 12PM PDT.

Rewards

Antitoxin Spray

Prepare for battle with a new universal healing skill! A dose of this cutting-edge Antitoxin Spray will cleanse yourself and nearby allies of poison, torment, confusion, and toxin. This skill is available to characters of all professions.

Krait Obelisk Shard

Complete the Tower of Nightmares meta achievement to receive a Krait Obelisk Shard for your home instances, which can serve as a place of power for earning a skill point or charging Quartz Crystals!

The official Titanfall announcement is below. The $249 collector’s edition seems like a ridiculous amount, but for folks who are into badass statues, I guess it’s a bargain?

We are happy to announce that Titanfall will be landing on store shelves for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC beginning March 11, 2014 in North America and beginning March 13, 2014 in Europe.

Electronic Arts announced today that Titanfall™, the debut game from acclaimed independent videogame developer Respawn Entertainment, will be landing on store shelves beginning March 11, 2014. Already the winner of more than 80 coveted awards from critics around the world, Titanfall is winning over fans with its thrilling, dynamic first-person action gameplay featuring elite assault pilots and agile, heavily-armored, 24-foot titans. Crafted by one of the co-creators of Call of Duty and other key designers behind the Call of Duty franchise, Titanfall delivers a brand-new online experience that combines fluid, fast-paced multiplayer action with heroic, set-piece moments found in traditional campaign modes.

“Since we revealed the game in June we’ve been absolutely blown away by the reaction to Titanfall,” said Vince Zampella, a Co-Creator of Call of Duty and Co-Founder of Respawn Entertainment. “The feedback we’re getting from fans around the world is fueling our team as we head towards March and motivating us to deliver an experience that lives up to the hype.”

In addition to the standard edition of the game, the Titanfall: Collector’s Edition (SRP $249.99), will include an exclusive collectible 18” hand-crafted titan statue with diorama and battery-powered LED lighting, a full-size art book featuring more than 190 pages of rare concept art, and an exclusive full-size schematic poster of the Atlas titan.

Set in the near future on a distant frontier torn apart by war, Titanfall drops players in the middle of a conflict between the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) and the Militia. The action is rapid and varied – featuring parkour-style wall running, massive double jumps and the ability to hijack titans. The freedom to shift back and forth between pilot and titan allows players to change tactics on the fly, attacking or escaping depending on the situation and extending the action vertically to new heights.

Titanfall will be available for the Xbox One all-in-one gaming and entertainment system from Microsoft, PC and Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system on March 11, 2014 in North America, and beginning March 13, 2014 in Europe. Join the conversation on Twitter® at twitter.com/titanfallgame and #Titanfall, or on Facebook® at facebook.com/titanfallgame.